New Hat Pins

I've added some new hat pins in my etsy shop, and relisted a bunch. I have a large batch that still needs photographing, including a handful that lean decidedly more steampunk-ish. I have no idea when I'll get around to listing those...hopefully soon.

Here are the ones that went online today. The ones that are made from antique buttons look marvelously close to originals.

Rhinestone Snowflake, 12"

Yellow Pearls and Sparkles, 12"

Aurora Borealis Rhinestones, 12"

Autumn in the Vineyard Pair, 10"

Autumn in the Vineyard, Large Medallion, 12"

Here are a couple more that I haven't listed, because I'm keeping them (for now).

Large green dome.

Small green dome.

Art Nouveau pair.

Large Art Nouveau Medallion

Why does she have so many umbrellas?

I'm almost back! As you can see from the gaps in my posts, I have to take long hiatuses every so often. It's painful to be away from costuming so long, but at least it's temporary.

I'm not quite free to come back yet, but I had a delivery yesterday so I thought I'd post a preview of what's coming up.





Yup, that's over a dozen umbrellas. More to come soon.

Cutwork and Soutache Bodice, circa ? (date this bodice!) Part 2

Ok, now it's time to help me date this bodice!

My first inclination is that it's from the 1870s. I'm looking at the shoulders, primarily: the sleeve heads are very fitted, and have no hint of puff that makes me think of the 1880s. But is it meant to sit over a bustle? Here are some comparison shots. Tell me what you think.

Mid-1870s bustle.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, side view.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, front view.

Over a mid-1870s bustle, back view.

My conclusion: this bustle really shows off the tail, but the bodice bunches up at the front waist.

Small back pad.

Over a small pad, side view.

Over a small pad, front view.

Over a small pad, back view.

My conclusion: the back waist is starting to creep away from the mannequin's back. That will probably be mostly fixed when I've relined the whole thing. The front still bunches a bit at the waist.

No padding.

No padding, side view.

No padding, front view.

No padding, back view.

My conclusion: the back waist really stands away from the mannequin now (though I really think that will be fixed when the whole thing is lined). The front waist hangs naturally and with little wrinkling, while the tail has acquired a fold on each side.

The final word: I think I'm going to have to repair the lining before I can really get an idea how this bodice is supposed to sit. The mesh that makes up the exterior stretches, even though it's so heavily covered. In the meantime, though, all you Victorian mavens out there, drop me comment and tell me what you think!

Cutwork and Soutache Bodice, circa ? (date this bodice!) Part 1

Before I dive in, first a personal note: those of you who stop by regularly (hi mom) may have noticed the looong periods of silence. I'm afraid I go through bouts of the-rest-of-my-life-taking-over, during which no costuming happens. I know you know what it's like, and thank you for coming back whenever I manage to find something to post about. :)

Tonight I'm taking a break from rest-of-life because I just acquired something AMAZING.

This is a vintage bodice that I bought earlier this week from Via's Vintage in Minneapolis, from her etsy shop (Kellie, the shop owner, is super nice!) I usually stay away from vintage garments that are this old, mostly because I want garments I want to be able to wear, and I worry about 100+-year-old clothes being too fragile. The other reason I stay away, is that I'm simply NOT shaped like a Victorian, and vintage garments from that time from just won't fit me.

This one, however, DOES. In fact, it's even a tad large.

This bodice is composed of a great deal of soutache and cutwork silk applique on mesh (probably cotton), lined with silk.

The exterior is in remarkably good shape.The silk cutwork is shattering in some spots, and bits of the soutache are coming off here and there, but all of the work is almost entirely intact. The lining is another story, and I'll explore the interior in another post.

The sleeves are a little extra long, and end in these wonderful peaked cuffs that extend over the back of the hand.

This is the fun part. The bodice has a long tail, also covered in cutwork and soutache. It was probably also lined once, but as you can see the lining stops short of the waist.

In this batch of photos I have the bodice on over a mid 1870s bustle and an unfinished petticoat I had laying around (yes, I have a lot of random, unfinished bits laying around). In the next post I'll show you what it looks like over other shapes, and I will solicit your opinion on the probable date of this bodice. In the meantime, here are a bunch of gratuitous close ups!

Back.

Side front of the bodice, featuring what looks
like tatted knotwork, but is really a couched
boullion type of thing (I'll have to look it up)

Side of the collar, which features a patch
decorated with chain stitch embroidery. There's a
matching patch on the other side.

Back of the collar.

Outer sleeve.

Close up of the upper sleeve. Both sleeves are
frayed the same way, and I think this spot is
where the soutache joined.

Back waistline, with more of the couched "bullion."

The unlined tail.

Yet Another Cockade Tutorial (Part 2)

In this post I'm going to show you a few things you can do with the technique you learned in Part 1 of this series. These photos are imperfectly categorized, but as you read along you should get the idea.

Hopefully this will give you some ideas so that you can go and make your own unique cockades!

1. Tail variations.

In Part 1 I chose to tuck the tails of the ribbon into a loop so that they don't show. Here are a few cockades where I left the tails dangling out.

Two cockades with their tails left out. Both ribbons are
1 inch wide, and the loops are 2 inches long.

Closer view. I like the tails to separate, and they tend to
want to stay stacked on top of each other (which is
another look worth trying).

This one has the tails left out and every third loop is extra
long. 1 inch wide ribbon with 2 inch long loops.

2. Ribbon width variation.

In this variation I've used a wider ribbon, but the length of the loops are the same: two times the ribbon width. A wider ribbon, of course, results in a larger cockade.

An unfinished cockade made from 1 and 1/2 inch wide
ribbon, with loops 2 times the ribbon width. This is a very
large cockade, measuring almost 6.5" across. The cockade
from the Part 1 tutorial is pictured for comparison.

3. Loop length variation.

In this variation I changed the loop length to one times the ribbon width. With the one inch ribbon, this made a wonderfully springy little cockade.

The loops on this cockade are 1 times the ribbon width (so,
1 inch here). It's finished with two brass beads stacked on
top of each other.

This one looks great from the back, and would have worked
equally well with the back as the front.

4. Stacking variations.

I made another cockade with a one inch ribbon, with two inch loops, but instead of attaching it to the felt, I stitched the loops to each other.

Don't cut the thread after making the loops. Instead of
stitching the loops directly to the felt, after pinning them
to each other (Step 5 in Part 1) stitch the loops to each other.

I made another cockade from a much wider ribbon (two and a quarter inches wide).

This cockade is made from a massive 2 and 1/4 inch wide
ribbon. The loops are 3 inches long (yeah, that's not really
a multiple of the ribbon width, but it worked for the look
I was after).

The back side of this one also looks really great.

I then stacked one on top of the other, and stitched the back sides of the top cockade to the bottom cockade.

I stitched the smaller cockade on top of the bigger one and
finished it with a brass button.

This one also has a lot of potential on the back side (sorry,
photo came out a bit dark).

Here are a couple where I added a ruffle instead of stacking multiple cockades.

The unfinished cockade here is a 1 and 5/8 inch ribbon with
1 inch loops (ok, I'm ignoring the proportions again). To the
back of it I've stitched a simple knife-pleated ruffle.

This cockade is made from 1 and 1/2 inch ribbon with
1 and 1/2 inch loops. The lower layer is loops cut and sewn
individually to the back, a total cheat to save ribbon.
I also attached the tails separately. It's finished with a
brass button.

And that covers all the cockades I've made in experimenting with this technique. There are a few other variations I want to try, so stay tuned for future pics.And please share any cockades that you've made! I love to see other people's creativity.

Yet Another Cockade Tutorial (Part 1)

There are quite a few tutorials on the web that explain how to make a cockade. So why am I adding another? For a simple and selfish reason: I figured out a method that works for me, and when I wanted to show some friends I couldn't remember the details anymore, and had to figure it out all over again! Hence, this post is as much for my own reference as perhaps to teach anyone who happens upon it.

Anyway! My method is based on a tutorial I found at instructables.com, with tweaks and additional steps to make the process easier. Here's what you need:

1. Ribbon. I'm using a one inch wide grosgrain in this tutorial, and suggest you use a ribbon at least one inch wide for your first cockade. I haven't tried any other type of ribbon for this type of cockade, and imagine satin and wired ribbons would work just fine, but for the first time grosgrain is the easiest material to use.

2. A small piece of felt. I'm using a polyester eco-felt, made from recycled materials.

3. A ruler and air soluble pen, or chalk, or anything that will come out without water.

4. Thread to match the ribbon, thread wax, and a sharp needle. If you haven't gotten into the habit of waxing hand sewing thread, I highly recommend it. It helps keep the thread from tangling around itself.

5.  Lots of sharp pins. I like using steel silk pins because they are VERY sharp, and don't leave any mark after they come out.

One inch wide striped grosgrain ribbon.
I like using striped ribbons, because the stripes
make interesting shapes in the finished cockade.

Step 1: mark fold points on the ribbon.

Mark folds on the ribbon.  I'm making 2" long folds here.
Leave a generous tail, at 3-4 times the length of the folds.

I'm experimenting with measurements in multiples of ribbon width, the way Candace Kling does for flower making. Here I'm using 2 times the ribbon width, so my folds are two inches long. The air soluble marker was a bit hard to see in the photo, so I've gone over them digitally. Since the marks will fade, I only make about a dozen marks or so, and mark more as I go along.

Step 2: fold the loops of the cockade and pin them together.

First fold and pin.

Second and third fold, makes your second loop. Pin.

Many folds later, I have 4 loops (counting on the left side).

In this step you make the loops of the cockade. I'm right handed, so I keep the roll of ribbon to my right. I make two folds at once, one to the left, one to the right, so that I have one loop, when you look at the left side. Pin each loop to the previous loops. After the first loop, there isn't really any way to pin through all the layers, so I pin through just enough to keep the top loop in place.

Finished stack of loops. Leave a generous tail
at the beginning and end.

I find 10 to 12 loops makes a nice cockade. Sixteen is great for a denser cockade. More than 18 is probably overkill.

Step 3: stitch the loops to each other.

For this step I use a matching thread, doubled up and knotted at the ends (for demonstration purposes, and laziness, the thread here is white). Pass the needle through the tail and through both layers of the first loop, close to the corner. Secure the thread.

Start by going through the bottom tail and the first loop.

Secure the thread by passing the needle between
the threads and under the knot.

Finish by pulling taught.

For the remainder of this step, you are essentially back stitching each loop to the previous loop.

Pass the needle through the first and second loops,
close to the corner. Be sure to go through all layers.

Pass the needle through the second and third loops.

Repeat, two loops at a time, until you've gone through
the whole stack and the end tail.

Take an extra stitch through the last loop and the bottom tail, to secure the thread. Do not cut the thread off!

Step 4: remove the pins and connect the start and end. 

Remove all the pins.

Pinch the tails together and stitch through both twice.
At this point you can tie off the thread.

Yes, the thread has mysteriously changed color here. I needed a better photo of this step, so took one of a cockade I made after the one in this tutorial.

What to do with the tails: you can leave them hanging out, and trim them at an angle in or a dove tail. Here I made another loop from one of the tails, folded the other
tail inside, and stitched the end of the outer tail to the inner.

One tail is folded into an additional loop and the other
tail is tucked inside. I then stitched the outer tail to the
inner near the cut end.

Step 5: arrange the loops.

Turn the cockade over so that the stitches are on the underside.

Arrange the loops so that they're all going in the same direction.

At this point I like to pin the loops to each other so that
they are spaced evenly.

This is the bottom side of the cockade, but note that this
can also be your top side, which results in a slightly
different style.

Step 6: attach the felt and finish the center.

A piece of felt on the back of the cockade supports the loops and helps them maintain their spacing. It also gives you a foundation to, say, attach a pink back or a clip, something to stitch to if you want to attach it permanently to something.

Cut a circle of felt smaller than the cockade.

Pin the felt in place and whip stitch it in place.

Finish by putting something in the center to cover up
the hole. Fancy buttons, beads, or flowers work well.
Here I've used a pearl bead.

And now we're done! I hope this tutorial is clear. I welcome any and all feedback, and am happy to edit this tutorial so that it works for everyone.

This is now an abominably long post, so I will end. In Part 2 I'll talk about a few variations, and show you some of the cockades I've made in the process of learning this technique.

Happy stitching!